230 CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



ward, continued except in very old as a groove to the 

 tip of the occipital process. 



Interorbital area flat, granular ridges bordering the 

 fontanel; transverse profile above the opercle strongly 

 arched. Nasal bones covered with skin, slightly serrated 

 on their upper margin. Snout, sides of the head and 

 humeral region thickly covered with small papillae; 

 sides of the head with a few conspicuous mucous canals. 



Eye small, not especially protected by serrations; 3 in 

 the snout, about 10 in the head, 3| in the interorbital; 

 suborbitals granular in the old. 



Maxillary barbels reaching second or posterior third 

 of the pectoral spine, beyond tip of humeral process; 

 postmentals past its base ; mentals two-thirds as long as 

 the postmentals. 



Snout bluntish, its width at the rictus 2J in the head, 

 its length about equal to half its width. Upper jaw pro- 

 jecting, the intermaxillary band of teeth partly exposed. 

 Teeth all setiform. 



Gill-openings continued forward to below the upper 

 angle of the preopercle. 



Breast entirely covered with skin. 



Second lateral scute short, much higher than the rest,, 

 the humeral region in front of. the first lateral scute, 

 with a small concealed plate. Each lateral scute with a 

 large median hook without marginal spines; those 

 toward the tail becoming longer. No plates on the dorsal 

 or ventral surfaces. 



Humeral process much narrower than the pectoral 

 spine, reaching to below first lateral scute, its surface 

 granular. 



Distance of the dorsal fin from the snout 2J in the 

 length; dorsal spine as high as length of head, its sides 

 almost smooth, both margins strongly serrate. Space 

 between dorsal and adipose fins equal to the length of 



